Tale as Old as Time
by LovesEternalFlame912
Summary: Spoilers for 7x04...What I think will happen :) Rumbelle


_Tale as Old as Time._

Weaver ran after Alice who had the chipped cup in her hand he followed her into an abandoned building. He wasn't sure why he was worried about a chipped cup or why he needed it, but he still followed.

A scuffle happened, and she took his gun.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you told me to _Rumplestiltskin_."

Suddenly memories flooded back

 _Rumple looked around at the sight before him. He usually wasn't a party man but today was different. With a camera around his neck he snapped photo after photo of his son and wife as they celebrated Gideon's first birthday._

 _"_ _You're really creepy this way?" Ruby said as she stood next to him._

 _"_ _What way is that dearie?"_

 _"_ _Like chummy dad-mode way." She replied. "Maybe Belle was right all along maybe there is a man underneath the beast." Ruby said as she playfully elbowed Rumple before going on to talk to Belle._

 _Rumple stood there smiling. For once he was truly happy. It was a weird thing to say, the Dark One was happy. But he was._

 _"_ _Penny for your thoughts?" a voice said bringing him out of his thoughts._

 _He smiled as his wife stood before him. "Just a weird feeling."_

 _"_ _And what feeling is that?" Belle asked inching closer._

 _"_ _Happiness. It just feels still weird that we got our Happy End- I mean Beginning."_

 _"_ _Well believe it, you got your happiness and I have mine. No more drama and heartbreak. Just happiness." she replied as she kissed him._

 _Leaning back from the kiss Rumple looked at her. "I have a surprise for you."_

 _"_ _A surprise for me? It's not my birthday."_

 _"_ _I know. Come with me for a moment."_

 _Belle looked back to Gideon who seemed rather entranced with Granny now. "Okay."_

 _Rumple led Belle outside to the gift table. "This is for you." He said handing her a squared covered present._

 _"_ _What's the occasion?" she said._

 _"_ _Well one year ago today you gave me the best gift imaginable, so I thought I would return the favor." Rumple said with a sly smile._

 _Belle looked at him questionably before opening the paper and sliding a book out._

 _"_ _Our Adventure Book?" she said looking at him._

 _"_ _You always wanted to travel the world, so I figured starting tomorrow that's what we will do as a family."_

 _Tears started to well up in Belle's eyes as she clutched the book._

 _"_ _What do you say?" Rumple asked._

 _"_ _I say let's do it." She said as she laughed putting the book down and kissed him._

 _Rumple deepened the kiss and didn't want to let go. Belle pulled back and smiled._

 _"_ _Rumple we have to behave there are people around you know."_

 _"_ _So." Rumple said ducking his head for another kiss._

 _"_ _So…we will just have to wait until later." She said chuckling and pushing him back a few steps._

 _Rumple stared at her in awe._

 _"_ _What?" she said._

 _"_ _You're Beautiful."_

 _"_ _Why don't you take a picture then?"_

 _"_ _No need to, I will remember you like this forever."_

 _Belle kissed him again._

 _"_ _Hey, Lovebirds I have a kid in here who is ready for cake." Ruby shouted causing them to part._

 _"_ _Shall we?" Rumple extended his hand,_

 _Belle nodded and grabbed his hand and they walked back in._

 _##_

 _"_ _I still can't believe we are doing this." Belle said as she wheeled her luggage across the street._

 _"_ _Well believe it my dear." Rumple said rolling his right next to her._

 _"_ _You guys better hurry you are going to miss your flight." Shouted Maurice who was holding Gideon near the departure gate._

 _"_ _Let's go see the world Mrs. Gold." Rumple said._

 _##_

 _They traveled. They saw Rome, Paris, Australia and so many other wondrous places that by the time they saw the whole world Gideon was a child._

 _They stopped off in Scotland and rented a cabin on a cliff overlooking mountains and trees with a beautiful view._

 _Gideon was inside reading a sure sign he was his mother's child. Rumple was washing up from dinner when he saw Belle standing outside looking at the view. She was quiet at dinner which concerned Rumple. He grabbed a hand towel and dried his hands._

 _"_ _Gideon, I'm going outside to check on your mother."_

 _"_ _But we haven't had dessert yet."_

 _"_ _I know Son, but I'm worried about Mama I'll be right back."_

 _Rumple walked outside shutting the door and walked up to stand next to Belle._

 _"_ _This view never gets old." He said._

 _"_ _No, it doesn't." Belle said quietly._

 _"_ _Belle, are you, all right?"_

 _"_ _Fine."_

 _"_ _Yeah you are not fine." He said turning her, so he was face to face._

 _And that's when he noticed the tear-streaked cheeks._

 _"_ _Belle what is it?"_

 _Belle sighed and pulled her hair back behind her ear showing Rumple the few grey hairs that were starting to grow._

 _"_ _You're crying over a few grey hairs?"_

 _"_ _No, but it made me realize something."_

 _"_ _What?"_

 _"_ _I'm going to die Rumple."_

 _"_ _Belle don't say that."_

 _"_ _I am. I'm like you Rumple, I'm going to age whereas you don't and when the time comes I'm going to die and you and Gideon will be alone." Her voice broke off at tears ran down and a sob escaped her throat._

 _"_ _Belle."_

 _"_ _No, it is okay we knew this was going to happen Rumple."_

 _Rumple felt tears welling up "I don't want to lose you Belle. I can make a potion and make you immortal I can do any kind of magic you want."_

 _"_ _No, we swore off magic remember? And I don't want to live forever Rumple. I just want to live out my years with my husband and son."_

 _"_ _I can't lose you Belle."_

 _"_ _And you won't."_

 _"_ _Yes. I will you will be gone, and I'll still be here with Gideon, but he will age too and then what happens then?"_

 _"_ _Rumple even though I won't be here physically you know I will always be with you. But you must understand I don't want to lose you either. All I ever wanted is to have a life with you Rumple and we have that. We have a home and a child and we're in love more now than we have ever been and honestly I'm ready to age and be older."_

 _"_ _What if we find a way to break my immortality?" Rumple said quickly._

 _"_ _What?" Belle asked._

 _"_ _What if we find a way to break my immortality."_

 _"_ _Rumple for that to happen you would have to give up being the Dark One, your powers."_

 _"_ _Then that's what I'll do."_

 _"_ _No, Rumple you can't."_

 _"_ _I can, and I will."_

 _"_ _Rumple."_

 _"_ _Look I don't care about my powers that much anymore. What I care about is my family. Our family and I do want to see Bae again someday. You, Gideon and Bae mean more to me than anything."_

 _"_ _I remember a time when that was different."_

 _"_ _Well I was a fool back then. I'm not the same man I was._

 _"_ _No, you're not. But you're still the man I love." Belle kissed him with as much passion as she could muster._

 _Rumple returned the kiss with equal fervor._

 _"_ _Mama, Papa can I have dessert now?" Gideon's voice rang out._

 _Belle and Rumple laughed as they saw Gideon standing on the porch._

 _"_ _We better go."_

 _"_ _I will find a way Belle. I Promise."_

 _"_ _It's okay Rumple some promises just can't be kept."_

 _Rumple watched as Belle strolled towards the house and sighed before following._

 _He would keep this promise. He had to._

 _##_

 _Years flew by. Belle and Gideon both got older, Rumple worked hard to find a way to break his immortality but so far had come up with dead end after dead end._

 _They walked Gideon, a grown man outside. Rumple and Gideon both helping and elderly Belle down the steps._

 _"_ _Well this is it." Gideon said_

 _"_ _I still can't believe you are leaving." Belle said holding back tears._

 _"_ _Ma I'll be fine. I'm my mother's son remember." He said kissing the top of her head._

 _Rumple held Gideon's face. "My boy, all grown up on us."_

 _"_ _Papa, this is hard enough." Gideon said._

 _They said their goodbyes a and Gideon took off towards the mountains._

 _"_ _He will be okay." Belle said more to assure herself than Rumple._

 _"_ _Of course, he will be. He's got his Mama's Brains and His Papa's looks what could go wrong?"_

 _Belle playfully nudged him as Rumple pulled her in to kiss her softly._

 _Belle pulled back and leaned her head on Rumple's shoulder silently praying for the safety for her boy._

 _Later that night, Belle was reading by the fire when she heard a familiar instrumental music._

 _She looked up to see Rumple standing in front of her with an outstretched hand._

 _"_ _Dance with me?"_

 _"_ _Rumple I can't really dance that well anymore."_

 _"_ _Don't worry I could never dance well ever." Rumple said jokingly pulling Belle to her feet. "Don't worry I'll hold on tight."_

 _As they danced to the music Belle felt tears welling up._

 _"_ _Hey." Rumple said stopping "Sweetheart, what is it?"_

 _"_ _I'm going to miss you so much and Gideon."_

 _"_ _Hey, you're not going anywhere yet."_

 _"_ _But when I do I'm going to miss you. What if you can't find a way to break the curse? What if you are immortal forever? What if I never see you again?" Belle said letting the tears fall. "Rumple I need you to promise me something. It's a promise I know you can keep."_

 _"_ _Name it."_

 _"_ _When the time comes, when I die I need you to move on, find love again." Belle said looking at him. "You have come so far, and I don't want you to revert back to the darkness, Gideon is going to need you."_

 _"_ _Belle, I can't promise that."_

 _"_ _Why?"_

 _"_ _Because I'm not going to stop until I break this curse. I won't revert to the Darkness because I'll have Gideon. But I can't love another woman the way I love you. You changed me, you made me a better man and you are my true love. So, when the moment comes, and you are gone I am going to fight like hell to get back to you. I'll promise you that. We will see each other again. I don't know when and I don't know how but I know we will."_

 _Rumple pulled her to him and kissed her deeply._

 _##_

 _The season's past and Belle sat on the porch in her favorite chair and looked at her surroundings. Her hair was pure white now and she was very frail, but she was happy and content. Gideon had been gone for months but they had exchanged letters and phone calls. She and Rumple lived every day to the fullest._

 _She sat back and sighed closing her eyes as the summer sun hit her in the face._

 _"_ _Mama?" a voice said causing her to open her eyes seeing Gideon coming up the steps._

 _Belle smiled as she stood slowly "My beautiful boy." She said as she hugged him "What a surprise."_

 _"_ _I know, I figured I would surprise my Mama for her birthday."_

 _"_ _Oh, am I surprised." She said smiling and laughed as Rumple came running out hugging his son._

 _They spent the rest of the evening catching up, laughing and reminiscing. Belle went up early to lay down. She just got comfortable when there was a knock on the door._

 _"_ _Ma, is it okay if I come in?" Gideon said behind the door._

 _"_ _Of course." Belle said._

 _Gideon opened the door revealing Himself and Rumple._

 _"_ _We have a surprise for you."_

 _"_ _Oh, really what is that?_

 _Gideon and Rumple walked in. Rumple sat next to Belle and wrapped his arm around her as Gideon sat down by her feet and pulled a book out and showed it to her._

 _"_ _Her Handsome Hero?" Belle asked surprised._

 _"_ _I figured we would read it for old times' sake." Gideon said proudly as he opened the book._

 _Belle smiled as she leaned her head to the side and placed it on Rumple's shoulder. "I love my boys." She said, "and we love you." They responded, and Gideon began to read._

 _Suddenly a sharp pain hit Belle right in the heart. "Ow!" She said lunging forward and almost collapsing._

 _"_ _Ma!"_

 _"_ _Belle! Gideon call the doctor."_

 _Rumple held on to a shaking Belle who was breathing very shallow._

 _"_ _Hang in there Belle."_

 _##_

 _Gideon and Rumple paced the hallway back and forth in front of the closed bedroom door._

 _Gideon stopped "She's going to be alright. She has to be."_

 _"_ _I don't know son. Let's just see what the Doctor says."_

 _The door opened revealing the nurse who walked out giving them a sad look before walking down the hall._

 _The doctor was next who walked out with his head hung low and slightly closed the door._

 _"_ _Doctor is my mother alright?"_

 _The doctor looked at Gideon sadly "Your mother's heart is giving out. There is not much time left."_

 _Gideon started crying "No, no she can't die she can't."_

 _Gideon ran down the hall and out the front door._

 _"_ _How long Doctor?" Rumple said with his head hung low._

 _"_ _Not long I've made her as comfortable as I can. She doesn't want to go to the hospital."_

 _"_ _Thank you, Doctor."_

 _The doctor nodded and walked out the house._

 _Rumple took a deep breath and walked into the bedroom._

 _Belle looked pale and frail and it broke Rumple's heart_

 _Rumple sat on the side of her bed and grabbed her hand._

 _Belle opened her eyes slowly and smiled. "Hey."_

 _"_ _Hi." Rumple said tears welling up._

 _"_ _Hey."_

 _"_ _Sorry for scaring you."_

 _"_ _Shhh. It's okay."_

 _"_ _Where is Gideon?"_

 _"_ _He went outside."_

 _"_ _I need him here. I don't think I am going to be here long now."_

 _"_ _I'll go get him."_

 _"_ _No need I'm here." Gideon said in the doorway_

 _Belle smiled as Gideon rushed to her side._

 _Gideon held her hand and laid his head down on her chest, sobbing._

 _"_ _Hey, it's okay don't cry. You guys will be okay." Belle said running her hand through Gideon's hair. "Can you do me a favor?" Belle said looking at Rumple._

 _"_ _Anything, sweetheart." Rumple said with tears in his eyes._

 _"_ _Finish the story."_

 _Rumple nodded and grabbed the book on the nightstand._

 _He opened the book to where they left off, kissed her head and began to read._

 _Belle closed her eyes while listening to her husband's voice and her hand running through Gideon's hair._

 _And as the story ended. Rumple had her in his arms. Her hand stopped running through Gideon's hair and she was finally at peace surrounded by the men she_ _loved._

Rumple sank to the ground in front of Alice. Sobs wracked his body as he cried out for his beloved Belle.

Alice who didn't realize what she had done placed the cup on a nearby table and sunk to her knees holding the man who sobbed into her shoulder.


End file.
